A Push-To-Talk (PTT) service is a service using a half-duplex mode over a radio frequency based communication network (e.g., a cellular communication network) in which only one user is allowed to speak at a time. That is, each user will have to take turn and wait for any ongoing conversation by other parties to the communication to be completed before the user can speak.
The PTT service provides one-to-one or one-to-group conversations according to a user selection. According to one implementation, each user will have to receive talk burst authority before attempting to send voice communication in the half-duplex mode.
The one-to-group conversation utilizes the PTT service for a plurality of parties. When a certain user presses a PTT key by selecting a plurality of users or groups, a session is established between PTT terminals through a PTT server. Thus, all of the selected recipients take part in the session, thereby transmitting and receiving voice (or audio) data.
A mobile communication terminal (hereinafter a PTT terminal) for all the PTT services having the established session can provide PTT communications. However, the PTT terminal must receive talk burst authority to transmit the voice data. The PTT server manages the talk burst authority so as to allow only one user to transmit the voice data.
In the related art, a user must perform a series of operations for pressing or releasing a PTT key on the PTT terminal to request talk burst authority or release talk burst authority. As a result, when the user is in a condition that he can not use his hands or must press and release the PTT key several times, the user is inconvenienced.
Voice recognition may be used instead of pressing the PTT key. That is, a user can speak a designated term (e.g., voice signal) to request and release talk burst authority. The PTT terminal recognizes the inputted voice and confirms whether the corresponding voice is a voice for requesting talk burst authority or releasing it. According to the result of the voice recognition, the PTT terminal transmits a talk burst request message or a talk burst release message to the PTT server.
In case that the talk burst authority is managed using voice recognition, the PTT terminal requires additional resources in order to recognize the voice inputted by the user. For example, the PTT terminal will have to use additional battery power to continuously monitor whether a voice signal is inputted by the user. Furthermore, the PTT terminal requires various software resources and hardware processors for voice recognition to accurately recognize the voice signals inputted.
As a result, additional resources need to be provided to a PTT terminal. Further, there is a high possibility that the battery power of the PTT terminal is rapidly diminished. As such, there is a need for a more efficient system of requesting and releasing talk burst authority.